The bell chimes as someone passes through the thick black curtains at the store’s entrance. Since I'm unboxing new stuff facing away from it, I quicken my pace and shout :

“Hi, this’ll be just a sec.”

I promptly empty the rest onto the countertop and swing the box into the backstore, chasing away the dust on my hands as I make my way into the aisles, looking for my customer, when my jaw drops. Still at the entrance, she looks up at me sitting in her motorized wheelchair.

“Hi!” She looks around the store, suppressing a chuckle, an embarrassed smile on her face. “Can I come in?”

I stumble across my words. “S-s-s-sure! Of course you can!” I step aside and gesture a passage with my hands.

“Thaaaank you.” Her voice is sweet, friendly, deeper than I would've expected. She leans forwards to reach her chair’s controls with her right arm, a stump without hands or fingers, and skilfully turns into one of the aisles.

“Are you… looking for something specific?” Her eyes are restless, jumping from one item to the other, with a look of complete incomprehension, her mouth slightly open. “You know what, I’ll be in the back if you have any questions, okay?”

As if she only now remembers my presence, she whips her pink and blue hair around to face me. "I will, I will. Thanks."

Every few paces, she stops to look at something, leaning towards it or squinting her eyes to read on the label. As I help one of my regulars pay for their purchases, I see her, out of the corner of my eyes, feeling the fabric of some lingerie on display, looking up at the well endowed mannequins towering above her, or even subtly looking down as if comparing herself. Biting her lower lip, she throws a quick look my way and I nod, while I help another customer at the register. Alone again in the store, I loop around the counter and come before her, putting a knee on the floor.

“Do people actually buy this stuff?”

With her left arm, she’s holding up a set of shiny black leather bra and shorts. I pick it up, revealing a second limb quite similar to her right one, its flesh slightly indented after she wedged it in the plastic hanger's hook. Ending prematurely above her elbow, it has no scar that I can see from this angle. She looks at me inquisitively, her abridged arms now at her sides.

“Do you like it?” I raise my eyebrows.

She shrugs, setting her stumps on the armrests, waddling on her seat. “...No?”

“Then don't worry about it.” I put it back on the shelf. “As simple as that.” I lean on the display, and look down at her, trying to piece out what goes on behind her eyes. “Is a piece of lingerie what you’re looking for?”

“I don’t really know what I’m looking for, honestly.” She scoffs, pushing a lock of pink hair out of her face and behind her ear.

"Are you shopping with a special someone in mind?

"Oh yeah, yeah. His name's Henry. It'll be the first time we're completely alone together. The double dates went great, but tonight's the big night! Both of us, alone for hours." She says out loud with a point of irony before letting out a giggle.

I'm not sure if she's being serious or not. “What about this one, huh?” I take one off of its hanger and lay it against my hand so it cascades down to her. “A lot softer, right?”

"Ouuuuh." Brows raised, she brings an arm under the flowing fabric to make it fall across her skin. A smile forms at the corner of her mouth. “Is this silk?” She asks, bringing her other arm to it. “Nah, that’s a stupid question, right?"

“Imitation silk, so only half stupid.” She crinkles her nose. “I have the same one but in red, here.”

I quickly make the switch and present it to her the same way. Like entranced, she follows along a floral pattern sewn on the bra cups. It goes up and down in spirals, branching out towards the stomach and onto the sides where the vines are covered with thorns. She drives the movement of her arm through her shoulder and down into her core, her torso tilting forward and back, always making micro adjustments that her lack of elbows cannot allow her. I turn it around, showcasing the intricate lacework that ties the entire thing together.

“I loooove floral patterns.”

I had noticed the tattoos on her arms, but only now took the time to inspect them. They're both entirely covered in an intricate entanglement of flowers, thorns, vines, and leaves, stretching from the shoulders down to the tip of her stumps. The black and gray design contrasts heavily with her colored hair, making them stand out that much more. It makes sense that she'd like it on clothes, too.

"Yeah I can see that! I love your tattoos, by the way."

"Thanks girl!" She feels her arms up and down, twisting them to look at the ink underneath. "My tattoo artist did my sleeves for the price of one full arm! Talk about a good discount!" We laugh good heartedly but she stops after noticing the complexity on the bottom part of the lingerie piece. "I'm not sure that's going to work with my situation." She raises her single leg and wiggles her toes out of her sandal.

“Forget about them for now. They’re not important.” Our eyes meet again and, in a fraction of a second, we both understand each other. “Give me one second.” I walk to the front of the store to lock the door, turning over the sign I usually put on during my lunch break before making my way back to her level. “What’s your name?”

“You can call me Lilly.” She fidgets on her seat, using her leg to reposition herself behind her restraints. I had already noticed it but I’m trying my hardest not to stare down at it.

“Right now it’s just you and me in this store, Lilly. No one else works today and I don't make commissions on sales.”

"Really?" She seems impressed by my initiative. I present the lingerie to her again. This time, she leans forwards and grabs it between her arms, her grasp deliberate yet clumsy. She turns it over, then looks back at me. “You sure about this?”

“One thousand percent sure.”

She taps her arms against her sides. "Yeah okay, let’s do it.”

I smile my biggest smile and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Good. I’m Parker, by the way.”

“Hi Parker, nice to meet you.”

She lifts her right arm towards me. I once again notice the way the movement of her entire limb is channeled through her shoulder, allowed only to pivot on this one socket. I slide her stump in my hand and shake it gently. My smile widens.

While she wasn't especially reserved, she definitely shifted into second gear after our little handshake. Leading me through the aisles, expressing her tastes on this or that piece, while I picked some more unexpected pieces for her to try later on. A leather bustier, a corset, and a few other kits that caught her eyes. Then, we set up shop in a wide fitting room completely hidden from sight. Sitting on the leather bench, a wall-length mirror against her back, she looks up at me, waiting.

"So what about we try this one first." I grab the plunging lingerie piece we got at the start of our run and shake it towards her.

She nods, stumps underneath her breasts. "Think that'll be enough?"

"It'll be plenty. Do you…" I lift my chin, giving the silence the difficult task of finishing my question.

"It's pants that are usually the problem." She shifts in her seat and shrugs her shoulders before leaning to the left and poking an arm in the fabric of her shirt, stretching it over her stumps, and throwing it upwards and over her head. What is revealed underneath is a truly stunning body. Toned abs, a narrow waist, and wide but delicate shoulders, lacking the muscle mass she doesn’t need to use her reduced limbs. I hang her shirt on a nearby hook. "Thaaaaank you."

Crunching forwards, she wrestles against her jeans shorts, pinching her stumps over the metallic button without success. Eyes to the ground, I try not to stare too much as well as allow her a respectful amount of time before I offer my help again, however there are two things I simply cannot ignore. Folded in half, stumps joined in front of her, she inevitably smushes her breasts together, in spectacular display for me. Either big Bs or small Cs, they’re pushed up so high in their cups that I can see more than a hint of a nipple.

Meanwhile, the fight goes on with her shorts.

She sighs and straightens up, rolls her shoulders and bends again, pressing down on the denim covering her lower belly with one arm while poking the flap with the other, hoping that luck will get it through the punch hole. Facing another failure, she waddles from side to side to loosen up a bit more denim and starts again, her gaze locked onto her target. After about a minute of unfruitful attempts, I take a step towards her.

"Can I?" She sits back up with a defeated look, the chafed ends of her arms now reddened. "Is anyone accompanying you today?"

"Not today, no." Air blows out of her nose like a repressed laughter. "Figured I could manage the commute and some window shopping by myself, but I didn't expect to end up in this store. I don’t usually venture by myself when I shop for things like this.”

"Don't worry I've got you." I flick the button out of its fold with a single finger and she scoffs again. “Nooooooo. No.” She locks eyes with me. “Not today.”

"What?" Sarcasm transpires again as our stares are engaged in a merciless battle. She brings an arm to her hair, slicking them back, head cocked. “It's like this everyday. Welcome to Lilith's life.”

“Today, we are shopping for clothes to make you feel beautiful and sexy in your skin. Not mine, not anyone else’s, your skin. I won't allow any body shaming, even coming from you. Is that clear?” The harshness of my voice contrasts with the softness of my hand on her thigh. Her tattooless limb is as gorgeous as her artful arms are. “By the way, is Lilly really short for Lilith? Talk about a diminutive for an already short name.”

"Shut up."

I steal another smile from her just as I start tugging on her jeans. She places her stumps on the armrests and pushes her shoulders down to lift her bum. As I slide them down her leg, they reveal on her left hip a firm patch of skin that leaves this side of her panties completely empty. No, not empty. As she sits back down, I notice something in the center. A round, slightly sunken dimple. It's what her left leg could've been, there's no doubt about it.

Wearing nothing but her undies, I can't help but find her maddeningly sexy.

“Wait a minute, I have to catch my breath.” As I ogle her up and down, she strikes a pose, setting her arms on her hips. "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here? Henry is one lucky fucker."

She joins her stumps, managing to look shy for a moment. “Thank you.”

"Enough messing around. Let's squeeze you into this."

—

We had been at it for almost an hour and she had tried on about half of the clothes we had in store. As I learned more about herself and her tastes, I could also refine my searches to better suit what she had in mind. We went back and forth between the stall and the aisles a few times, so much so that she ditched her wheelchair towards the end, hopping behind me and occasionally needing my support.

I step back and cross my arms, gauging the fit of our newest idea : a short white satin dress. The plunging collar offers me a gorgeous view of her breasts, only partially supported by the dress's inline bra, and almost all the way down to her stomach. The sleeves, narrow bands of frilled fabric attached to the dress piece under the armpits, leave her delicate shoulders exposed under the soft lights of the enclosed space.

From the ribs down, the rest of the dress flows freely around her curves, the see-through veil haphazardly teasing glimpses of her waist and lower belly. Then, I help her spread it evenly around her hips, hiding her legless side and emphasizing the thigh high sock on the other.

A matching white string covers her essentials, tied to the back with nothing but a thin lace and adorned with imitation diamonds amongst other sparkly plastic. The whole outfit gives her an angelic look, as if she could dissolve into thin air at a moment’s notice.

She grabs part of the veil and throws it up, playing with it like a little girl, making the sleeves fly. Now standing, she tries to spin like a ballerina only to lose her balance and fall directly into my arms.

"This feels amazing, Parker."

"Do you like it?" The question is a formality because the answer is written all over her face.

"I love it." She twists her shoulders again to look at the laces crisscrossing against her back. "I never thought something like this could make me look good."

"Good? Are you kidding me? You're GORGEOUS! Lilly, that guy will go absolutely crazy over you!"

"You really think so?"

I clear my throat. "I've seen a lot of girls try out clothes in this store, let me tell you this. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of them that rocked a déshabillé as much as you do now."

"Well count yourself lucky! I don't even have fingers!

She lifts her stumps towards me and explodes into laughter. A loud, raspy, honest laugh, the one that makes you wheeze so hard that you need to cough right after. Folded in half, her arms covering her face, she snorts like a little piggy, and I can't resist joining her. Before long, I'm on my knees, head against the seat of her chair, fighting to control my breathing. As we wipe our tears, an idea crosses my mind.

"That date of yours, it's tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is." Her roséed cheeks stand out against her pale complexion.

"And who's going to.. I mean, is anyone helping you out at home? To get ready I mean."

She looks at me through her eyebrows. "My mom. She helps me with a lot of things, well most of them anyway."

Her gaze focuses on her reflection again. She stands up from the bench and stares at herself from every possible angle, constantly hopping to maintain her balance.

"Hey Lilly. Anything planned until then?"

"Until tonight?" She shrugs, absently feels her breasts, gauging the fabric of the dress. "Not much, no."

I sit on my heels to face her. "I'm taking you out, then."

"You're serious? What about the shop?"

I scoff. "Who cares about the fucking shop. The owner's a cunt anyway. Come on. What do you say?"

She bites her lip, looking at the dress, at me, at the time on my smartwatch. "I'm in."

—

*A few days later*

A woman in her late forties answers the door with a beaming smile. "Hi! You must be Parker!"

"I am! Nice to meet you!" As I extend my hand, she leans over for a kiss of the cheek.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Shirley, Lilith's mom. Come on in! Make yourself at home!"

—

"... And here is Lilith's room!"

Shirley finally walks me down to a closed door sporting two sets of knobs, with the second one being set at shoulder's height. The two are joined together with a metal rod and chain links, allowing both to turn when either is used. She knocks.

"Come in!" Sitting in front of an elongated vanity set on the floor, Lilly's applying makeup. "Hey! Glad you could make it." She switches back her focus on her eyeliner, the pen in delicate balance between her fingerless stumps. "Thanks mom."

“I’ll be back just before Henry arrives to see if you girls need anything, okay?”

“Okay." She answers without taking her eyes away from the mirror.

I need a few seconds to take in the decor of her room. The ensemble looks like a Pinterest post about pastel : softs blues and lavender tones are mixed and matched with matte whites. Hard edges have been sanded off the furniture, creating a series of organic curves and waves in the natural wood ; a mountain side has been etched on the top half of the wall opposite to the vanity, along with a few inspirational quotes, and the entire thing screams white girl Feng shui.

Her bed, a few inches off the floor, is encased in a light gray frame covered in fabric similar to couch cushions. Firm yet supple. Probably for Lilly to ease herself in and out of bed more easily.

"Your mom is so nice." I try to steal a look at her as she vanishes down the corridor.

"I just wish she didn't tour the entire house for every new guest." She caps her eyeliner and looks at me through the mirror. "It feels weird to see you here. I mean, not you, but people in general. This is my little nook."

"It's… not my cup of teaI." I scoff. "But I see what you were going for."

"Too much color?" She crinkles her nose, looking down at my outfit: a black strapless crop top and dark purple leggings.

"Something like that, yeah. But I have to admit it fits the hair quite well.'

"Thanks!!" She runs a stump through the colored locks, blending the blue and the pink together into purplish hue. "I had them done the day before we met. They are gonna fade out over the next few weeks, though. Good thing that my colorist sees me once a month."

She winks at me before rummaging in the small leather bag in front of her, voluntarily spilling out a tube of red lipstick. Grabbing it off the vanity using her lips, she repositions it upwards with her stumps, upcaps it with her teeth, and finally secures it between her arms, expertly angling it towards her pouted lips.

"So…? Tell me about your date! How did it go?"

She smacks her lips and, satisfied, mouths the lipstick back in the bag. “It was good! Very good.” She smiles dreamily, this time taking the time to turn around. “It was nice for me to be alone with someone other than my mom or a friend.” She realizes her mistake and shakes her head. “But I’m glad that you’re here Parker really I am..”

“I understand what you mean. It still hurts of course" I throw her a side look, reaching for a friendly tap on the arm. She jolts her leg upwards trying to retaliate but misses. “Last week you said you thought… things might happen during your date. So? Did they?”

“Kind of.” She smiles and bites her lip, joining arms over her raised knee. "We had already kissed before, but, you know.. Little smooches here and there, nothing more.”

"Really? I thought you'd be the kind of girl to get in business faster than that."

She throws her stumps in the air. "Everybody does, I don't know why, huh, maybe the tattooed arms and pink hair have something to do with it!" She chuckles, speaking through her grin.

"I almost thought I'd see a split tongue the first time you spoke." She sticks out her tongue to disprove my theory, instead showcasing a piercing. "That's more like it. Did you give him a taste of it?"

"Maybe?" With her foot close to her, she starts rocking her hips, eyes lost in a haze. I look down at her gym shorts, stretched tight against her groin but sagged on the legless left side. "Probably?"

"I knew it!! I knew you wouldn't disappoint me! Tell me everything! No, that's insensitive. No, it's why I'm here! Tell me!!"

She takes a deep breath and presses her stumps against her cheeks. “It was like in the movies, Parker. When you come back from the bar and just want to throw yourself at the other. I did, literally, and he caught me just in time, too. I don't think he expected it." She presses her lips together, seemingly both shy and proud. "Like the second he unclipped the belt on my chair I just jumped into his arms, they felt so…" She stops and looks into the distance.

"Did you suck his dick?" I ask enthusiastically.

"Parker!!" She slaps me with her foot. "You saw me last week, I couldn't open a pair of jeans if my life depended on it."

"You could've used that tongue of yours!"

"Parker!!!" She giggles and folds her leg beneath her, rolling herself in a ball to hide her face.

"So he ate you out, then??"

"Parker!!!!" This time, she throws herself at me. Literally. We fall head over heels and her stumps end up on my face trying to silence me.

"You need to work on that jumping of yours, it's getting dangerous!"

I grab her shoulders and push her to the side, takling her on the floor, locking her stumps beneath my hands. Her surprise of the initial impact quickly fades away only to be replaced by strange fascination, or arousal almost. I only now realize they didn't get this far.

"He didn't stay the night, did he?" I release her from my grasp and tug her upwards next to me.

She flicks her hair back, unable to tame the colors at this moment. "He didn't. He…" She takes a deep breath and sighs. "He brought me on the bed and laid over me. I could feel how much he wanted me. The way his hands moved across my body made me feel so…" She shudders. For the first time, there's uncertainty in her eyes. "When he slid his hand under my dress, I… I started shaking so much I could barely breathe." She stops for a moment, perhaps waiting for my response. I let her take her time instead. "He withdrew every time and after a few times he just stopped trying." She lowers her gaze.

"Did you tell him to keep going?" I ask encouragingly.

"I should've, right?" She frowns, sighs. "I’ve… never been with anyone, you know. I don't know the codes, or what to say, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to kill the vibe by saying something wrong but I guess I killed it anyway." She shrugs.

"And then what happened?"

"We snuggled in my bed for a bit and then he left." Leaning forwards, she pushes herself up and bunny hops to her bed, crash landing on her back. "Sometimes it's like I'm frozen in place.. I have a hard time trusting other people because well…” She points her arms to the ceiling. "Hard to fight back if something goes wrong."

“But you trust me, don’t you?"

"I do, yes."

"Enough to let me in your house, and.. and to tell me all of this instead of him, yet we barely know each other.” I join her on the bed and place my hand on her left stump. “I liked our afternoon the other day.”

“I did too.” She smiles. “It felt so simple.. Most of my friends have moved away, I don't get these kinds of moments anymore."

I tenderly run my thumb across her stump while we wait for time to go by. The poor girl. Barely in control of her own body, and dependent on a social circle that she does not have. I’ll try to change the subject. “So this is your special outfit for tonight?” I free my hand and stretch the strap of her sleeveless top, letting it snap back on her shoulder.

“No, no, no, no!” She giggles and pushes my hand to the side. “Well I…” She takes a deep breath, suddenly a lot more serious. “I need your help.”

“Of course! That’s why I’m here!” I stand up, heading for the closet. “In here?”

“No, *chuckles*, not in the closet. See, that’s part of the help I need.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t… I don’t think I’ll wear… Um.. anything…” She joins her stumps, looking up gingerly.

“Oh? Oh.” The surprise in my voice came out unrestrained, probably mirroring the one on my face. “That’s.. Yeah, okay. Yeah.” I come back to her and slowly kneel again.

"I want to send him a clear message, one that says: Here's my whole shtick, no secrets, I'm ready."

"I mean finding you naked on the bed will certainly get your message across…"

"Clearly he doesn't care about my disability or he would've run away before our second date, it's just a matter of getting through this hurdle." She looks down at her cleavage and pushes her breasts together. "I'm tired of being stuck in the same routine, the same habits, I need to expand my horizons or I'm gonna go crazy." She moves her stumps up and down as she talks, just as someone would gesture with their hands. "I've got my chance with a guy that's genuinely interested in me, there's no way I'm turning back now."

"So that's it? I help you strip then leave you two alone?"

"That's part of it, yes." She pauses. "Parker, you have lots of experience, right?"

"Cut to the chase, Lilly."

She laughs nervously and moistens her lips. “I want you to go down on me.”

My heart skips a beat.

“You… want me to…”

“You heard me.” She sits and pushes herself back in the bed, her stumps vanishing in the pillows behind her as she leans against them. “I could barely handle myself when he touched my breasts. I don’t want to disappoint him again tonight.”

I sit back on my heels. “That’s a pretty big thing to ask, Lilly. But apart from that, if he really likes you, he’ll wait until you’re ready, no matter how long it takes. There’s no disappointing him in line, you need to respect yourself. Don’t push your limits just for him.”

“I’m not doing it for him. I came to so many crossroads in life recently that I could not cross because of a bunch of reasons, but I’m taking this one in charge.” She takes a minute to allow me to digest what she said. “I know we barely know each other, but…” Her sarcastic and bubbly attitude is gone. She shrugs. “I don’t know who else to ask.”

I quickly get up and throw myself on the bed to climb on top of her, stopping only when our faces are mere inches from each other. She didn't expect such a quick reaction. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, her eyes are open wide, like those of a cat that's ready to pounce, the muscles in her neck are tense in anticipation.

—

As we lay in bed together, I snag her phone from the bedside table and shove it in her face to unlock it.

“What are you doing?”

“Texting Henry. Can’t wait. Mom’s already gone.” I sit back and aim for a picture. She scrambles to bite the sheets back onto her. “Wait, let’s get this in order first..” I quickly fix her hair around her face, then tug the sheets back off against her will. “There, much better. Can you hide your nips with your arms? Perfect.” I snap one and show it to her.

“Hey! They’re short but not that short.” She frowns after seeing the photo. “That's how you use those ten fingers of yours? Give me that.” After tiptoeing on her phone for a moment, she sticks it between her big and second toe before lifting her leg far in front of her. After a 4 second timer, her phone clicks. "See? Much better."

I have to admit, she has more talent than me in photography. Centered on her abdomen, the photo captures her tense abdominal muscles fighting to keep her leg raised, up to her face, where only her chin and pursed lips are visible, and down to her hips, her genitals strategically hidden by her thigh, a hint of her legless hip visible beneath the sheets.

With a teaspoon of jealousy on my mind, I send the picture to Henry and scramble to my feet, tidying up her room while we wait for her Prince Charming.